Aviva Stadium football tickets which were sold to fans for more than €500 per match are now on offer for less than €75. It is the latest in the FAI's desperate efforts to offload thousands of premium seats which have failed to sell at the new ground.

Despite having paid up to €533 per match for their premium seats, 10-year ticket holders have been contacted by the FAI with an "exclusive once-off opportunity" to secure more seats in the same area of the new stadium for a maximum of €73.70.

A spokesman for the Irish Football Supporters Association (IFSA) said the move was a bid to prevent passing the cost of unsold seats on to regular fans but added that the FAI should be providing every available perk to Vantage members so as to placate them.

In its communication with 10-year ticket-holders, who paid up to €32,000 for high-end seats with a guaranteed minimum of 60 games, the FAI offered more reductions on additional seats.

"As a Vantage Club 10-year ticket-holder we are delighted to offer you the exclusive once-off opportunity to avail of a 33% discount for extra tickets for the important first home match of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualification campaign," it said.

Tickets on offer included premium seats behind the goal (€56.95), in the corners (€63.65), on the wing (€70.35) and in the centre (€73.70). The same seats are being sold to non-Vantage Club members for 33% more – still a massive discount on the original prices.

It is the latest effort by the FAI to offload the up-market tickets that have simply not been selling. Most of the 5,000 empty seats in Lansdowne Road for Ireland's recent game against Argentina were in the premium area.

Previously, the Sunday Tribune revealed massive discounts on offer for 10-year tickets, with €12,000 packages reduced to just €8,000, a 33% discount.

The move may lead to considerable acrimony among those who paid the original prices. Alan Hunter of the IFSA said the FAI needed to consider what added value they could offer to people in that position.

"I would have a great deal of sympathy for those who paid top dollar," he said. "The corporate people who have bought them, fair play to them, but the only thing the FAI can do now is to get every extra perk that can be included because the people who are sitting beside them (who got discounts) will be rattling their jewellery."

Citing the potential for signed programmes, shirts and even match balls, he said something had to be done to counter the drop in price.

"John Delaney has to bend over backwards here; they can't get the money back so they have to get VIP treatment," said Hunter.

"It's either take the money and run or be left with empty seats. The FAI took on the project and we supported it so all you can say is sell the seats at whatever deal can be done."

The FAI said:?"The offer you refer to was made to Vantage ten-year seat holders and rewards them for being members of the Vantage Club. The response has been entirely positive as they have been able to invite friends to join them at a discounted rate and is no different to other benefits enjoyed by Vantage Club members such as first access to purchase concert tickets at the Aviva Stadium."